Not expecting a bunch of new stuff this season, so just tacking these on to last season's post. Maybe I'll end up happily wrong about that
Here's some in the Okinawan citrus, close relatives of shekwasha and oto.
- kaabuchii (kabuchi): I was surprised by the hint of ammonia aroma in the rind, which was consistent across all of the fruit I had. My initial tasting note was "sour watermelon candy", and I sort of stand by that. Closer to shekwasha and with less of the rich taste I associate with some ripe sour mandarins. Definitely juicy and refreshing. I suspect there would be some familiar sour fruit compound in any analysis of it, maybe malic acid? I feel like you could eat a sack of these and not feel sick of sugar. Almost into hyuganatsu levels of refreshing juiciness. Faint hints of the vegetable notes of cucumber or celery you expect from some Japanese citrus.
- tarugayou (tarugayo): Much more like oto than like shekwasha. There is a niche market for essential oil from the rind, which describes the aroma as being remarkably calming, but I found it a little elusive in mine. Definitely a nifty fruit, though. My first tasting note was "clove, vanilla," and I stand by that. Some of the same notes you find in other Okinawan citrus, just balanced differently. Speaking of balance, while the kaabuchii were very balanced with sweetness and sourness, these were not. A bit flat, almost, but not insipid. Has more of a hint of the carrot taste you get with an inferior (my opinion) mandarin, like a force-ripened Murcott, but nowhere near as insipid. Probably the best word is smooth. I'd be interested in seeing what offspring with a parent with richer flavour might be like.
My plans for the rest of the season mostly involve a lot of yuzu, some oto, and more tachibana. I definitely seem to be really enjoying descendants of
Citrus ryukyuensis! If anyone knows of someone collecting wild fruit of
C. ryukyuensis, I very much want to hear about it, and will eagerly buy some!! (Probably I just need to be prioritizing a trip to Japan, myself.)